This weekend’s European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia will almost mark the halfway point in the 2010 season. Although the occasion is being hosted for only the third time in the home of legendary dish Paella, the Europe event itself dates back to a September afternoon at Brands Hatch in 1983.
The title ‘European Grand Prix’ will be used for the 20th time this weekend and has, since ’83, usually been the label for races in countries which are hosting more than one Formula 1 event. However, the 2007 Grand Prix at the Nürburgring should have been titled the German Grand Prix, had it not been for administration issues.
After Brands Hatch, Nürburg, Donington Park and Jerez, the Valencia street venue is the fifth home thus far of the European Grand Prix and made its debut in 2008, thanks chiefly to the World Championship successes of Spain’s Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.
Although the local fans may have been out in force, organisers hope to see crowd numbers rise significantly this year as the race switches from a late August to late June slot in order to avoid public summer holidays for the area, during which many residents holiday abroad or in other parts of Spain.
Sporting no less than 25 corners, the Hermann Tilke-designer track has been criticised for a lap too long and lack of action; indeed, the pit lane appears to have provided the most drama in Valencia thus far, with race leader Felipe Massa’s Ferrari having been released into the path of Adrian Sutil’s Force India in 2008 – throwing that race’s results into question for a short time after the chequered flag – before McLaren aided Rubens Barrichello’s drive to Brazil 100th F1 victory last year as tyres were removed from warming blankets too late.
Although Valencia has been part of the calendar for only two seasons so far, the European Grand Prix as an event has thrown up some sensational Grands Prix in past years; Nigel Mansell collected a first win as Alain Prost won his first title at Brands Hatch in 1985, Ayrton Senna stormed from fifth to first on the opening lap at Donington in 1993 and Michael Schumacher pulled off a forceful pass to win from Jean Alesi at the Nürburgring two years later.
Although the 2005 race provided a spectacular finish in Germany, with a struggling Kimi Räikkönen losing his right-front wheel on the final lap after suffering with an enormously flat-spotted tyre, it is the 1999 race which remains at the forefront of many fans’ memories:
After surprise pole man Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s superb drive to what could have been the joint championship lead came to nothing when his Jordan became victim to electrical problems, respective tyre errors and pit-stop blunders saw eventual title contenders Mika Häkkinen and Eddie Irvine plummet out of contention.
Coulthard, Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher all then enjoyed stints at the front, only to either skid off the greasy track or pick up a puncture, all leaving Johnny Herbert and Rubens Barrichello to enjoy a famous Stewart GP 1-3 result, sandwiching the Prost of Jarno Trulli.
The 2007 race also featured high drama levels, as future team-mates Alonso and Massa went toe-to-toe before finishing their on-track battle with an off-track verbal dispute in Italian, with the Spaniard’s McLaren having taken the chequered flag after making – undeserved, in his opinion - passing contact with the Ferrari.
The day before also included Lewis Hamilton’s first Grand Prix weekend shunt, as his McLaren slammed into the tyre wall after scurrying over the Schumacher-S gravel trap, before joining another six cars off the track at Turn 1 as a heavy race day shower caused chaos and a red flag early in the race.
Looking to this weekend, the same three teams as Montreal – McLaren, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari – should be fighting at the front again although the Woking and Maranello outfits could possess a slight edge depending on how effective their (in McLaren’s case) f-duct system and (in Ferrari’s case) significant aerodynamic upgrades are; indeed, the marked Ferrari performance gain, if any, could prove a crucial moment in this year’s championship attack.
Laps: 57
Record: 1:38.683 / T. Glock / Toyota / 2009
Local start time: 2pm (BST +1)
Slick tyre compounds:
Super Soft & Medium
Circuit changes for 2010:
- Kerbs replaced with 25mm high slants at Turns 5, 10 and 14
- 2 metre-wide strip of artificial grass installed on exit of Turn 20
Valencia race winners at a glance:
2009 Rubens Barrichello, Brawn-Mercedes
2008 Felipe Massa, Ferrari
Valencia pole position winners:
2009 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes
2008 Felipe Massa, Ferrari
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